Tag Archives: Slayton

Vintage Space Fun Fact: Slayton’s Bow Tie

Posted on April 9, 2012 by asteitel

On Thursday April 9, 1959, the seven Mercury astronauts were introduced to the world at a press conference. Six nervous men sat shifting in their seats at a long table facing a room full of press; John Glenn was the … Continue reading →

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Vintage Space Fun Fact: The Mercury ’7′s

Posted on December 7, 2011 by asteitel

Each of the Mercury missions had a name followed by the number 7. Alan Shepard flew Freedom 7, Gus Grissom in Liberty Bell 7, John Glenn aboard Friendship 7 (pictured), Scott Carpenter in Aurora 7, Wally Schirra flew Sigma 7, … Continue reading →

Posted in Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Unmanned Spaceflight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Shepard: First American in (Suborbital) Space

Posted on May 1, 2011 by asteitel

I’ve talked in previous posts about the first manned Soviet space program, Vostok, and Yuri Gagarin’s historic Vostok 1 flight. One aspect neither of these posts touched on, however, was the reaction in the United States. Understandably, Americans were less … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury, Soviet | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Designing the Perfect Astronaut

Posted on December 7, 2010 by asteitel

The experimental, creative, and at times imaginative nature of the Mercury program has always fascinated me. The program and the decision that preceded it answer a totally unique question: what do you do when you suddenly need to put a … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Space Science, Manned Spaceflight, Mercury | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments